Henderson calls for Rafael Dos Anjos fight to get him closer to UFC lightweight title

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Henderson calls for Rafael Dos Anjos fight to get him closer to UFC lightweight title

"Were not quite sure who it makes sense to match-up against. Who we want to ask to fight next, we are kind of leaning towards Rafael dos Anjos. We think it would be a good fight with him. It will be entertaining, good fight and the match-up works well for us. I don't know if he has anyone scheduled in (to fight) or not. I think it might work. I agree with Chael Sonnen, you need to have a name in mind. I'm not going to go so low as to say, ‘Oh, I want to beat somebody up because they are so ugly.' I think Rafael would be a good match-up, he's a tough fighter, he's on a five-fight win streak, I think it will be a good match-up."

Definitely love this guy win or lose and seems he is ready to jump back into the deep waters of the division to prove his point. I would enjoy see Bendo go on another tear and work his way back to a title shot, lets just hope that Pettis loses against Aldo (if he moves up) to make the matchup palatable because while Pettis holds the title I do not see Bendo getting another shot.

Dos Anjos, though, was encouraged by the news. After all, he said, Henderson was one of the names on his radar. He believes he could be a victory away from a title shot, so a few names really stick out to him as preferred opponents.

"Actually, Henderson is one of the names I was thinking about," he said. "I was thinking I should face T.J. Grant, Gilbert Melendez or Ben Henderson next. That's because I want to beat someone who will put me in a title shot."

Henderson (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) recently snapped a seven-fight winning streak and lost his title to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164, but he won't get an immediate rematch since Pettis next fights Josh Thomson in December. Melendez (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a former Strikeforce champion, recently picked up his first UFC victory in a "Fight of the Night" performance against Diego Sanchez at UFC 166. And T.J. Grant (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC), who has a five-fight winning streak of his own, was promised a title shot before a concussion put him on the sidelines, and he awaits a next challenge.

All are attractive options to dos Anjos.

"I think I only need one more victory before a title shot if I face one of those three names," he said.

Why Nurmagomedov is not being mentioned?
He has won his 5 fights in the UFC, he has been very dominant and has showed that he is a very skilled fighter. Time for him to face some Top guy. Bendo, Melendez, Dos Anjos and Tj Grant should be options. Who else is he going to face?

Why Nurmagomedov is not being mentioned?
He has won his 5 fights in the UFC, he has been very dominant and has showed that he is a very skilled fighter. Time for him to face some Top guy. Bendo, Melendez, Dos Anjos and Tj Grant should be options. Who else is he going to face?

Khabib is a TOUGH fight for anyone in the LW division. He's not well known even with his winning streak, and it's a risky fight for guys like Bendo, Gil, Dos Anjos, etc. because he can outwrestle anyone in the division, has good sambo, aggressive striker with a good chin.

I really hope the UFC can give him more exposure in the European market, that is if they cant break into the Russian market. He also trains out of AKA in the States, so fight in San Jose would be good too.

I think Bendo will get Dos Anjos, Gil will fight Grant, and Khabib will get winner of Nate/Maynard. Gives him a chance to fight 2 former contenders and get his name out there more.

Bendo didn't do to hot at the adcc, being submitted in his second match, I think he hit his peak at this point. Not saying it's a bad thing but I don't think he will wear gold again, but I do think he will stay in the top 5 for awhile.